Regulating-spring.



No. 811,346. PATEN'IED JAN. 30, 1906. J F. WESER.

REGULATING SPRING. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21. 1903.

Wirwases: j g f fiep/z Weaer' JOSEPH F. WESER, OF IITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

REGULATlNG-SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed September 21, 1903. Serial No. 174,031.

citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulating-Springs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to regulatingsprings such as are employed in watches, chronorneters, and the like; and the main object of the invention is to provide a regulating-spring in which the tension of each coil of the spring will increase and decrease gradually and regularly during the time the spring is being wound or unwound, respectively, by the movement of the escapement or balance wheel.

It is well known that a spring of helical form approaches more nearly to perfection than a spring of any other known form; but it is impossible to employ "a helical spring in connection with watches and other small timepieces on account of the lack of available space, and for such small timepieces a flat spiral spring of the type known as an Archimedean spring has been resorted to. In the Archimedean spring each convolution or coil exercises its force in expanding and contracting from a certain point, and in'this type of spring the point from which each spiral or convolution exercises its force is on a difierent radial line, and this construction has the effect of causing the force exerted in rotating the balance-wheel to be irregular during the vibration or movement of the wheel from one position of rest to another position of rest.

My improved spring is of volute form and conforms to a logarithmic spiral, and the coils thereof gradually decrease in spacing from the outer coil to the center of the spring, and by this construction I attain the same effect in each coil as is attained in the helical spring. Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved spring so wound that the securing-points of the ends are adjacent. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the spring wound, with the securing-points of the ends at some distance apart. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the spring. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a helical spring shown for illustrative purposes, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same.

In the cylindrical or helical form of spring 1 (shown in Figs. 4 and 5) all the coils or convolutions are described from the longitudinal axis of the spring, and all the coils have a constant -that is, a gradually increasing or gradually decreasing-tension during their entire movement. In my improved spring 7 (illustrated in Figs. 1 and 52) substantially the same efiect is produced, the coils being wound in the form of a logarithmic spiral and the foot-point of all the convolutions being on the same radial line.

The spacing of the coils in my improved spring is most readily efi'ected by laying each spring, while it is a flat strip and prior to its being tempered, upon a flat strip of metal which tapers gradually from end to end and then coiling the spring and the strip around a shaft of suitable size. When the coiling has been performed, the tapered strip of metal will of course intervene between the coils of the spring, and the coils will be spaced apart by gradually increasing distances from the inner coil to the outer coil. While coiled with the tapered strip thesprings are properly tempered and will of course retain their coiled form when the tapered strip is removed.

I claim 1. A regulating-spring of the form of a logarithmic spiral.

2. A regulating-spring of logarithmic spiral form in which the space between the coils gradually decreases from the outer coil to the innermost coil.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH F. WESER. Witnesses:

A. M. WILSON, E. E. POTTER. 

